This richly documented Norton Critical Edition of Julius Caesar is
based on the 1623 First Folio text. It is accompanied by a note on the
text, an introduction that sets the biographical and historical stage
necessary to appreciate this richly allusive play, explanatory
annotations, a map, and five illustrations.
"Sources and Contexts" presents possible sources as well as analogues to
Julius Caesar, an account of Shakespeare's understanding of and
approach to Roman history, and Ernest Schanzer's study of the narrative
challenges posed by the play.
"Criticism" includes early commentary--by, among others, Samuel Johnson,
William Hazlitt, and Harley Granville-Barker--on Julius Caesar as well
as modern interpretations. Among these are John W. Velz on role-playing
in Julius Caesar; Jan H. Blits on Caesar's ambiguous end; Paul A.
Cantor on rhetoric, poetry and the Roman republic; and R. A. Foakes on
the themes of assassination and mob violence.
"Performance History" reprints accounts of various aspects of staging
Julius Caesar by Sidney Homan, John Nettles, and
Robert F. Willson, Jr.
A Film Bibliography and Selected Bibliography are also included.